Al Mezan Center For Human Rights

As members of the Palestinian Council of Human Rights Organizations, we strongly condemn the decision of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to support a UN Human Rights Council resolution that accords further time for ineffective domestic investigations, thus effectively failing to pursue accountability for crimes committed during the Israeli offensive code-named “Operation Cast Lead.”

Israel has announced to unilaterally cease fire in the Gaza Strip while leaving its troops in positions they had seized during the so-called Operation Cast Lead. Al Mezan Center’s staff visited some of the areas the Israeli Occupation Forces left last night and this morning. It found out that a disaster had struck these areas, which had not been accessible for weeks.

The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) has further escalated its attacks on the Gaza Strip at the start of the fourth week of its war on the Strip. According to Al Mezan Center’s monitoring, the IOF has continued to destroy homes on their residents. For the third time, the IOF attacked an UNRWA [the United Nations agency for Palestine refugees] shelter, killing two displaced children and injuring at least 15 people.

The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) has seriously escalated its attacks on the Gaza Strip during the past two days. Yesterday, the IOF assassinated Said Siam, a PLC member and Minister of Interior in the Government in Gaza. Israeli forces also advanced into several areas in the south and east of Gaza City, and heavily bombarded the neighborhoods of al-Shejaiya and al-Tuffah in the east of the City.

The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) has continued its aggression against the Gaza Strip for the 19th day. Al Mezan Center’s monitoring revealed that the IOF has escalated its attacks on civilian targets. Until today, the vast majority of the casualties are non-combatants. Only 13.9 percent of the total casualties were fighters (137 men). According to Al Mezan Center’s monitoring, as of 1pm today, the number of Palestinians killed by the IOF during Operation Cast Lead has risen to 979. Of those, 206 were children and 70 were women. Seven of the medical teams members and three journalists were also killed. Moreover, at least 3,527 have been injured, including 760 children and 448 women.

The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) has seriously escalated its attacks on the Gaza Strip since midnight yesterday, as it advanced into Tel al-Hawa neighborhood southern Gaza City, and heavily bombarded the neighborhoods of al-Shejaiya and al-Tuffah in the east of the City. Al Mezan Center’s monitoring indicates that about 70 percent of IOF’s attacks casualties of these attacks are from families who were hit inside their homes or as they left their homes to flee these areas.

Monday night and today saw a serious escalation of the violence of the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in the Gaza Strip in the past week. Starting at 10pm yesterday, the IOF stepped up its ground invasion and attacks from the air and the sea. The IOF launched ground incursions deeper into western Beit Lahia and Jabaliya, and into the northern, eastern and southern suburbs of Gaza City.

According to Al Mezan’s careful monitoring, the IOF has killed at least 876 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since the start of its Operation Cast Lead on 27 December 2008. This number includes at least 186 children and 61 women. This number is restricted to those whom Al Mezan has verified and double-checked.